Bab 211: [Chapter 210] What Lies Within the Secret Passager
The scent of spring blossoms filled even the nighttime Imperial Palace, but the spaces between the deserted buildings were eerily silent.
Cledwyn, arriving at the location designated by Keamil in her letter, wasn't surprised to find no one waiting. It was better this way, with no witnesses.
"No master, just a bunch of rats."
A ghostly figure emerged from the quiet courtyard, devoid of any light.
Spot. Short, sharp sounds echoed from all directions. Poisoned silver needles.
Cledwyn swung his sword. The only source of light was the faint glow of the crescent moon, but the trajectory of his sword momentarily shone as brightly as a mirror.
But he was human, and he couldn't block the flying daggers from behind. The Silver Moon assassins had triumphant looks on their faces.
That is, until they saw a man appear from somewhere, blocking the needles aimed at the Grand Duke's back.
Clang! Clank! Clank! Dozens of silver needles fell limply onto the grassy courtyard.
"He said to come alone."
Cledwyn clicked his tongue, back to back with Aidan. Aidan replied gruffly.
Knowing you wouldn't gain anything by coming, why did you try to follow the order to come alone?
You think there's nothing to gain? Catching the rats will lead us to the master.
The master will be hiding very well.
Then we'll have to search the Imperial Palace and catch him.
Aidan was speechless for a moment. He wasn't a man of many words to begin with.
So, his respected master had never come to the Imperial Palace to obey Keamil's words. He had intended to cause chaos from the start, and Keamil had given him an invitation.
At least she would have had to use her hand to grant him passage through the Imperial Palace at night to lure him to the desired location.
'It would have been faster than breaking down the Imperial Palace gates.'
He couldn't avoid being judged for his foolish actions.
But who in the Grand Duke's family could blame Cledwyn Maindelant? Everyone feels the same way when they're frustrated and angry, wanting to smash everything.
Cledwyn's eyes, like glass beads, stared coldly at his enemies. The assassins felt a chill down their spines.
Swoosh. The sword flashed. A light, cold sound like a gentle breeze, and a life was taken. First one, then two, then three.
Cledwyn soon forgot the courtyard, where the only living beings left were himself and Aidan. Even if he wasn't at the appointed place, he would be somewhere in the palace.
'The caster of the curse.'
Cledwyn was certain.
Even though it was a magic that only had tricks left, it was a skill that the country looked upon favorably, so it had survived tenaciously. The dark use of the skill was almost always mixed with the poison of the upper noble families' secret techniques.
High priests were usually not close to such curses. The study of black magic's counter-curses, which varied depending on the caster, was not their job. There were some counter-curse specialists, but it seemed they were not in the Imperial Capital right now, so catching the caster was the fastest way to save his wife.
Was the caster Keamil? Anyone of noble birth could learn some magic, so it was possible, but Cledwyn didn't want to believe that someone like Keamil, who was busy scheming every day, would also be a skilled magician.
She must have someone more useful.
Someone who could show his rational and incredibly logical wife such strange visions.
'There must be a dedicated magician who casts dirty spells on the Silver Moon's tongue, and it's probably him.'
His wife, who had repeatedly lost consciousness and fallen into a state of panic, didn't look at the people who were actually around her even during the brief moments when she seemed to be stable. Instead, she pleaded with someone invisible to please not hurt her.
And most of the names she called out were familiar.
'Megara Lykeandros, Alecto Islani, Valentin Elandria… Joseph Karen and Abelus Bisuto.'
Megara, Alecto, and Valentin were people who could easily torment Neris, and they had fought quite a bit during their time at the academy, so that was understandable. But did Abelus have any reason to torture Neris?
Moreover, Joseph Karen, though he couldn't be sure because he was too insignificant, was Nellusion's loyal knight, if Cledwyn's memory was correct. He was even dead now.
No matter what kind of trick Keamil had played, it was definitely nonsense.
'I'll kill him if I catch him.'
The shadows of the grass swayed in the moonlight. It was only a faint presence, but Cledwyn keenly perceived that another unit of the "Silver Moon" had surrounded them.
"What do you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"Should we kill them all here, or should we break through?"
The former would take time, and the latter would risk being surrounded. Despite the seriousness of the situation, there was no tension in his master's voice.
Yes, that's the kind of person he is. Aidan said with fiery eyes.
"We have to break through."
"Right?"
The priority was to break the curse on Neris. Cledwyn nodded as if it were obvious, even though he had asked the question himself.
The two men exchanged glances and then charged forward like arrows.
***
The corridor was stained with blood.
Cledwyn, wiping the blood of a fallen Silver Moon assassin off his sword, frowned.
"A trap."
Cledwyn and Aidan had reached a secluded corridor in a corner of the Imperial Palace.
Considering their original plan to go straight to the Princess's Palace from the courtyard, they had clearly taken a wrong turn. The paths inside the Imperial Palace were incredibly complex, and the two men were not familiar with the palace's geography.
But there was no choice. To face a multitude with just the two of them, they had to make good use of the surrounding terrain. They had moved along, leaning against the walls as needed, and now they were here.
Aidan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where are they taking us?"
"To the Princess's Palace. But not the main entrance, a secluded corner where a few people can die."
Tonight, no matter what anyone said, Keamil had the advantage. It was simply illogical for two noble young men to barge into the Imperial Palace.
If Keamil succeeded in capturing or killing Cledwyn, the game would be over for them. There would be no hope for Neris to wake up, and the North would be swallowed whole by the Imperial Family.
But despite that prospect, there was still no regret in Cledwyn's eyes.
He was the kind of man who didn't even need to open his mouth to answer such a simple question, whether to choose the possibility of his wife's safety or his own life.
It was the other side that had openly declared this to be a trap from the beginning. Cledwyn didn't even regret the lure itself. After all, once they reached the Princess's Palace, they could find Keamil and the caster of the curse.
Suddenly, he tilted his head. Then he looked as if he had realized something.
"Ah, I thought it was strange that they were so brazen. This is near the Imperial Investigation Office."
Aidan also knew that the Imperial Investigators were under Keamil's control. He looked around cautiously.
An unnatural silence for a brief moment. And then.
Bang! A small explosion-like sound echoed. The two men barely dodged the floor that suddenly burst open. At the same time, a huge number of Silver Moon assassins began to swarm from both sides of the corridor.
Cledwyn grinned, showing his teeth.
This many dying and still coming out means Keamil could swallow the Imperial Palace if she wanted to.
That's right. Of course, the Emperor has his own means of self-protection.
If she's going to do this, she shouldn't have given the Crown Prince position to her brother. Why does she have so many knives? She'll get stabbed eventually.
While pretending to be the eldest son of the Imperial Family, being careful in public to not threaten the Crown Prince's political standing.
If she has this many capable dark forces in the palace, it's clear she has rebellious intentions. How stupid is the Emperor?
I don't know.
Ah, she must have kept them outside normally. Did she call them in advance for today's event? She must have been quite anxious.
Swoosh. Cledwyn's sword cut through a man with a bone-chilling sound. But his handsome forehead was already stained with blood, some of it his own.
These wolves that Keamil had carefully raised were skilled. Even he couldn't avoid all the countless swords and daggers. Who knows how much poison was on which one?
Aidan said in a determined voice.
We'll be here cleaning up until dawn. I'll clear a path, you escape.
Don't talk nonsense. If you do that, there's no point in coming this far.
Cledwyn spat out the blood that had entered his mouth. Then he looked around.
He had been in the Imperial Palace a handful of times in his life, and there was a reason he knew this area. This was definitely near the place where Neris was attacked last time.
So.
This way first.
In a corridor blocked by people on both sides, Cledwyn chose one side without hesitation.
Two swords, swung with a force that seemed to throw his whole body into the motion, carved a path through the attackers. They fell like a natural disaster. A chilling sound, a cruel end to life.
Moments later, the two men were running down the empty path ahead, with a clear purpose. The dark forces following them were surprisingly resolute.
It was a seemingly unremarkable spot to the dark forces. Suddenly, the Grand Duke's knight stopped and turned to face the assassins who were chasing them.
This area was one that even the dark forces rarely visited. They judged that the Grand Duke was trying to escape alone, sacrificing his knight, and covered their respirators with cloth as a precaution against any possible means.
The knight swung his sword, slicing through the ceiling.
Rumble. A terrifying sound, dust billowed, and pieces of the broken ceiling fell from the sky. The dark forces shuddered. Even after fighting so many, he still had that much strength left?
Taking advantage of the brief moment when everyone's eyes were fixed on the ceiling, the knight chased after the Grand Duke.
Cledwyn stood where Neris had stood before, opening the entrance to the secret passage. The two men jumped in.
When the dark forces found the Grand Duke again, the two men had already vanished from their sight.
"Whew."
Cledwyn smiled, closing the entrance to the secret passage carefully, just as Neris had done.
"My wife, even though she's not by my side, saves my life."
"Did Her Highness tell you about this place?"
"Yes. Judging by their reaction, it seems those guys didn't know about this place either. Amazing, right?"
It was a statement that could make anyone think Neris was an Imperial spy, but Cledwyn genuinely seemed proud.
And Aidan wasn't the kind of person to think that way either. He gave a wry smile, looking at his master's face.
"…Yes."
"But this is different from last time."
Cledwyn looked serious, looking at the secret passage unfolding before them.
This old stone passage, though it had looked quite gloomy on his last visit, had been nothing special. It had just felt like a secret place hidden from view, nothing more.
But now, the entire corridor was filled with a pale light. It wasn't the kind of light that could be made by ordinary torches.
It was more like a raw, otherworldly light, as if a bright moon had been trapped somewhere…
His skin tingled. The entire space was dominated by a murderous aura.
"Where."
Cledwyn bared his teeth.
"What are they hiding, I wonder. Let's see what it is."
It was then.
…So that's it, you're her…
A booming voice echoed from afar.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone